Austro Control Places Nation-wide Wide Area Multilateration System from Saab into Operation

SecurityNews

31 March 2014

Defense and security company Saab has announced that Austro Control, the Air Navigation Service Provider for Austria, has placed into operation its nation-wide Wide Area Multilateration (WAM) system from Saab. The WAM system, covering six Terminal Maneuvering Areas and the entire Austrian FIR plus a zone of 40NM in high density airspace, provides Austro Control controllers with highly accurate, one-second update rate surveillance of flights.

The WAM system is comprised of numerous sensors deployed throughout the country and a central processing system that provides data directly to Eurocontrol’s Air Traffic Management Surveillance Tracker and Server (ARTAS) where ARTAS correlates WAM data with data from existing radars for a fused output. The WAM system provides one-second surveillance update, an improvement over secondary surveillance radar’s four second update rate. The initial operational use of the system is in the en-route airspace; the terminal area coverage volumes are expected to be integrated into full operational status in 2014.

Based on the success of the WAM system in the Innsbruck Valley, Austro Control decided to deploy WAM nationwide to complement and in some cases replace secondary surveillance radars. The new WAM system addresses the surveillance needs of today and prepares for future nationwide ADS-B coverage while significantly reducing lifecycle operating cost over traditional radar.

By employing advanced processing techniques, a Saab multilateration system uses the minimal number of sensors needed for a less complex, lower lifecycle cost solution. Additionally, each multilateration sensor deployed by Saab supports ADS-B, providing an infrastructure that is ready for today’s surveillance needs and tomorrow’s avionics.

“The Austria WAM system enhances safety through a higher update rate and is providing radar coverage in lower airspaces that previously had no coverage,” said Ken Kaminski, general manager of Saab ATM. “This complex, highly reliable system is capable of processing more than 2,000 targets while delivering better performance than the EUROCAE ED-142 standard requires.”

Saab provides the global defense and aviation markets with advanced sensor technologies, next-generation radars, automation, and modeling and simulation solutions. It serves military, civil aviation, airport and airline customers in more than 40 countries across six continents.

Saab serves the global market with world-leading products, services and solutions ranging from military defence to civil security. Saab has operations and employees on all continents and constantly develops, adopts and improves new technology to meet customers’ changing needs.

Defense and security company Saab announced that Airservices Australia, the Air Navigation Service Provider for Australia, has commissioned into service the Integrated Tower Automation Suite (INTAS) at Melbourne Airport.

NATS, the Air Navigation Service Provider at the United Kingdom’s major airports, has commissioned and accepted into operational service Saab Sensis Corporation’s Wide Area Multilateration (WAM) system at Edinburgh Airport (EDI).